1. Field of the Invention
The invention relates to special receptacles and packages and in particular to a packaging device for the shipment, storage and display of plants, cut flowers and the like.
The device of this invention is especially concerned with a caddy suitable for delivering ornamental plants and flowers and incorporating a carrying handle. The flower caddy is also convertible into a display vase for holding a flower arrangement.
2. Description of the Prior Art
Florists have traditionally relied upon rather nominal measures for providing a protective enclosure during delivery of flower arrangements. The flower wrapping or covering of the prior art include generally various types of sheet material conventionally placed around the stem portion of a bouquet; open flower baskets are also employed. Frequently the flower blossoms as so transported are left exposed to the elements during delivery and the flower petals become bruised, fall off or are otherwise damaged. Additionally, the floral displays when so transported are more readily subject to disarray. Furthermore, after delivery the recipient must locate a suitable vase or other flower holder. This may present difficulties when, for instance, the flowers are sent to hospital patients.
Another form of flower enclosure of the prior art includes containers or boxes such as noted in U.S. Pat. Nos. 1,270,554 and 3,127,011, wherein the flowers are placed in a selected box of appropriate length for accommodating the particular flowers. The disadvantage of this packaging arrangement is that a sufficient inventory of different length boxes must always be kept on hand. Another reason many of these shipping cartons have not received widespread acceptance is because of the additional expense involved in maintaining the inventory.
In contrast, the caddy of this invention provides a substantially rigid, protective canister in the form of an attractive package which is universally adaptable for containing a wide range of flower sizes and shapes. The outer surface of the package is suitable for bearing advertising copy or designs. A feature of this caddy is that it can completely envelop a bouquet of cut flowers including the stem portion and the blossoms. The caddy can also be used for packaging ornamental house plants including a flower pot.
Another improvement of this caddy device relates to the construction which encompasses slidably adjustable component parts providing greater latitude as to the stem lengths which can be accommodated without crushing or damaging the flowers. A further advantage of the instant caddy is that it has an integral carrying handle and a receptacle component which is also functional for the display of flowers and for providing a water reservoir.